Police officers in Imo State have arrested two suspected child traffickers and rescued two young children. One of the suspects tried to bribe the officers with N1 million, but they refused and proceeded with the arrest.

According to the police spokesperson, DSP Henry Okoye, the first arrest happened on February 4, 2025. Officers from the State Criminal Investigation Department arrested 32-year-old Confidence Odoh from Owerri West LGA.

She was accused of kidnapping her former neighbor’s three-year-old son, Nzubechi Udodiri, on February 1, 2025. The boy was taken while playing in his family’s compound. Fortunately, he was rescued and reunited with his parents.

In another case, on February 21, 2025, police officers conducting a stop-and-search along the Owerri-Aba Expressway caught a 45-year-old woman, Eze Chika, with a four-year-old child.

She initially claimed the child was hers but later admitted she had bought him from a child trafficking syndicate in Aba for N1.8 million.

In an attempt to escape arrest, Chika offered the officers a N1 million bribe, but they refused. The police arrested her and took the child into protective custody.

Investigations are ongoing to find more people involved in the trafficking network and locate the child’s real parents.

The police urged parents to be extra careful, monitor their children closely, and report any suspicious activities to law enforcement.